ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

What Are the Most Popular Natural Sleep Aids?

Updated on September 6, 2018
saramc1980 profile image

Sara has been a Freelance Writer and Editor since 2007, currently in Cincinnati, OH. With a lifelong dream of writing this is it for her!

Introduction: Natural Remedies Are Available

I don’t know about the rest of you out there, but there are plenty of nights when I find it very difficult to either fall asleep or just get a good, full night’s rest and can’t seem to wake up refreshed in the morning. Sometimes I know I toss and turn after a stressful day, no matter how tired I may be and I just wish there were a simple way out there to make sure I could get a fulfilling night’s sleep. I know there are plenty of over-the-counter drugs available to knock you out, but if you are like me and take other medications then it can be a bit of a reluctant decision to put additional drugs in your body if you don’t absolutely have to. Sometimes I take melatonin, but it doesn’t always work. So I was thinking about natural sleep remedies available out there and what I might be able to do to get some better rest after some of those rough days and start a bit of a better night-time cycle.

Cherries Improve Melatonin Production

I know I was surprised when I read 8 ounces twice a day for two weeks could improve natural melatonin production and sleep cycles.
I know I was surprised when I read 8 ounces twice a day for two weeks could improve natural melatonin production and sleep cycles.

Melatonin is the Most Commonly Recommended

Since all of these natural products are untested and unregulated by the FDA there is no real information on their possible side effects or risks, although there is always a chance of those causes. The most popular is obviously melatonin since it is the chemical released in the brain that tells the body it is time to go to sleep. In pill form it is a reproduced form of melatonin, even though it is the natural chemical that the body produces, so it is not exactly human melatonin. There are, however, other ways to help the body induce its own melatonin production that I was able to find in some other places in my research. Acupuncture was one method that seemed to have been found to induce the brain’s own production of melatonin and help the body return to a more regular sleep cycle. One food that appears naturally high in melatonin are cherries, and if for two weeks one is to drink eight ounces of sour cherry juice in the morning and eight ounces in the evening it can also help regulate the body’s sleep cycle.

Tryptophan Helps Sleep Cycles Greatly

Another commonly recommended natural sleep aid is tryptophan. This is another item that does not have to be purchased specifically off the store shelf, as it can be added into your diet through certain fish and seafood like shrimp, cod, tuna and halibut. You can also try a carbohydrate and protein combo close to bedtime as milk is rich in tryptophan and whole grain foods, like a whole grain cereal, are rich in tryptophan as well. Plenty of other foods are rich in tryptophan like foods with plenty of vitamin B6, wheat germ, sunflower seeds and bananas.

Eat Fish for Tryptophan

Certain fishes provide the necessary levels of tryptophan needed to help regulate sleep cycles and can help you fall asleep well at night.
Certain fishes provide the necessary levels of tryptophan needed to help regulate sleep cycles and can help you fall asleep well at night.

Overall Diet Tips to Improve Sleep Cycles

There are some overall diet tips that have been offered throughout the years for those who have been looking for better sleep regimens. Some include aromatherapy in the bedroom using English lavender in the evening before bedtime. Another is a diet including Magnesium-rich foods such as leafy-green vegetables, wheat bran, almonds, cashews, blackstrap molasses, brewer’s yeast and whole grain. There are teas to be made before bedtime out of lemon balm or sage, or pre-packaged teas of chamomile or valerian.

Conclusion: There is Plenty I Can Do Without Drugs

So the more I looked, the more I realized that there are plenty of natural options out there to help me with my restless and sleepless nights and that I just need to do my research and make sure I am prepared to possibly to a little cooking and make sure I am eating right and putting the proper nutrients in my body. So, sleep well everyone!

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)